


dissipate

by FancifulRivers



Series: white like an oleander [2]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Drabble, Episode: s05e25 Legs From Here To Homeworld, Gen, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Save this Pearl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-24
Updated: 2018-07-24
Packaged: 2019-06-15 13:17:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15413775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FancifulRivers/pseuds/FancifulRivers
Summary: White Pearl's herself again.Sort of.Sequel to"love until death."





	dissipate

Everything hurts.

You don't understand. You were engulfed in white- and the white doesn't hurt, the white takes all feeling away- ( _oh but it did hurt once upon a time, it was excruciating, and you prayed for shattering, you prayed for the pain to be taken away_ )

But then the white left. Then there was nothing. Then there was pink- and yellow- and blue- And you don't understand because pink's supposed to be  _gone_ , pink is a broken, shattered nothing, like you used to be, like you wanted to be, but now pink is  _here_ like you are here, and-

It hurts. You feel your gem, slick and cool and heavy in its proper position. Blue Pearl's fingertips slide across it and you quiver, feeling the rush of sensation unfurl through your skull. It is a new sensation, something you are unused to. It has been so long- the white often touched the gem embedded in your stomach and you knew to shiver, you knew to react, but it was a false reaction, and the white knew it, too, and oh, you don't want to think about that, about how white hot anger feels-

Arms around you, holding you tight. Pearls, anchoring you to warm sand. The other Diamonds' pearls, although Pink Pearl looks nothing like she is supposed to. She is crisp and utilitarian and if you dared used the word 'fighter' to describe a  _pearl_ , it might slip into your mind.

"Are you all right?" Pink Pearl speaks first, tucking a strand of hair into your bun. You tilt your head, not knowing how to answer the question. Not knowing what "all right" is even supposed to  _mean_. No one has asked you how you felt in such a long time.

"Yes," you decide. Yellow Pearl side-eyes you, surprising a rusty, creaky laugh from your throat. It is such a  _yellow_ look, you remember it so well. Blue Pearl kneels beside you, hair tousled and hiding all but her prominent nose. You can see the infinitesimal trembling of her shoulders. Blue, she feels so blue, and you bask in blue and yellow and pink, not a trace of white in sight.

"Where-" You try to ask, but you can't. It is not a Diamond command that seals your lips and locks your vocal cords, but it is pain all the same. The pearls exchange a look, long and level.

"We are on Earth," Pink Pearl finally says. "Blue Diamond and Yellow Diamond are here, as is Steven. You know him as- as Pink." She chews on her bottom lip for a second. You wonder why. Of course Pink is here. You can feel pink, bright and flushed and exuberant. "But listen-" She leans forward, taking one of your hands in hers. It is a light touch. You could slip out of it any moment.

"White Diamond is not here," Pink Pearl says, her voice soft and emphatic. "She is not here. She will never hurt you again."

You open your mouth to protest, to contradict- white cannot hurt, it is the absence of pain- but salt traces your lips and you realize you're crying.

"You're safe," Blue Pearl says quietly.

You want so desperately to believe it.


End file.
